The Scarlet Shadow
by Super Bananna
Summary: A new vigilante arrives in Starling. The members of Team Arrow are desperate to learn his identity before he destroys Starling as they know it. But, will his identity destroy Team Arrow? Olicity. Slightly AU.
1. Chapter 1

A lone figure stood atop a building in the Glades. He swiftly launched himself from building to building, stopping at a seemingly abandoned warehouse. Smiling, he peered in the grimy skylight, and saw just what he wanted to see; drug dealers, and lots of 'em too.

The hooded man climbed down the side of the building, and tip-toed through the door.

"There's a new gang in town boys, and we have to show 'em who owns this city." The figure slid along the wall as the men cheered at their boss' words.

"The Fazzaloni's are the only mob in Starling, and we're gonna keep it that way." The large leader turned to his right and clapped his hand on another greasy man. "My son, Donny, will take some men to the wharf tonight to welcome the new guys."

Donny grinned.

The figure adjusted his weapons, and stepped out of the shadows. All the men reached for their guns, but didn't shoot.

Donny stepped out, and cocked his gun. "Who's there?"

The figure smiled and replied, "Ah, it's just me, a city inspector! I've come to check your permits for the building. You do know it's not safe out here at night."

Donny sneered and said, "Yeah, we're the reason it's not safe, asshole." He trained his gun on the figure

The hooded man put up his hands and said, "Now, wait just a cotton-pickin minute here. I'm just a poor, unarmed, defenseless, city inspector." As he was saying this, he slowly pulled out a set of tonfas, and his voice became deathly quiet.

"Ha, ha. Just kidding."

Before Donny could fathom the "poor inspector" jumping at him, the figure had knocked him unconscious and kicked his gun away. Others began to realize that this could be bad for both business and health, so they started to shoot at the man. With (almost) inhuman speed and strength, the masked man took out three more men, without even breaking a sweat. He gracefully leaped over the unconscious bodies of the henchmen, and put his steel tonfas away, grinning at his success. He walked over to Fazzaloni, who, by now, was shaking. The boss picked up a gun, only to have it be knocked out of his hand.

Stuttering, he asked, "W-who the h-hell are you?"

The masked man chuckled darkly, and said, "I'm your worst nightmare, buttercup."

He then stopped, contemplated what he had said, and continued, "Unless your worst nightmare is actually a fat clown riding a unicycle throwing pies at your face."

Turning to the frightened man, he said, "That's what mine is. You know, they really should say, 'Now, I'm your worst nightmare, replacing your previous one.' That would make more sense, don't you think?"

He looked at the crime lord, who was shaking so bad, he could neither speak or shake his head.

"I'm sorry, I'm kinda new at this, so is it ok if I just start this over?"

The hooded figure stood up, shook himself off, and said, "Now, I'm your worst nightmare," and promptly knocked the drug lord out.

He stood up, wiped his hands on his jeans, and smiled.

"Cool."

* * *

So, yeah! This is my first fanfiction. I appreciate whatever you want to write to me about, either through the review or PM (I still don't really know hoow it works, so if anyone wants to tell me, I'm game!) I honestly don't really know what I'm doing, writing a story, because I'm not artistic, or even that good at writing. But, I had a dream with this in it, and I thought, "God that would be a good fanfiction. I hope someone has written it." But no one did, and I decided to write it... The only problem is I'm really busy, and don't have time to be writing Fanfiction. Oh, well! I'll fit it in somewhere.

I hope you read it, not just scrolled all the way down here to read my author's note.

I'm really into music, and I'll probably leave a phrase down here with a song that I think relates to the chapter, and you can search it in YouTube... Here's one for you now!

Extreme Music - Do You Feel Alive (Epic Energetic Vocal Rock)

Sometimes, it'll be popular music, othertimes, you'll think, "What even is this?"

I'll see y'all through the screen sometime soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Turn left."

Felicity was sitting in the Foundry (she secretly liked to call it the Quiver), staring at her computers, watching as Oliver sped through the streets of the Glades.

She loved moments like this, where she could talk to Oliver without being distracted by his face... or abs.

Oliver's voice distracted her from her thoughts.

"I'm here. Is it safe to go in?"

Felicity quickly did a thermal scan of the warehouse by tapping into a satellite. There were at least thirty armed men inside, but none of them seemed to be moving. She relayed this information to Oliver and quickly added,

"Be careful, this might be a trap."

* * *

Oliver pulled his lips into a tight line and nocked his arrow. He crept over to the fire escape, and quietly climbed it. Looking through the skylight, he saw the men in question through the cracked window.

None of them were moving, yet he kept his guard up, and his arrow nocked.

He then opened the window and carefully lowered himself down. None of the drug dealers were moving, still. By now, Oliver knew something was wrong, when suddenly he heard a crash. Spinning around, he pointed his arrow at figure in a red hood, and scruffy jeans.

The figure put his hands up.

"I'm not here to hurt you. If I was, half of Starling would know your identity by now."

His voice was weird, like it couldn't decide if it was high pitched or low pitched.

"Who are you?" Oliver growled.

"Well, Mr. A, I have a small riddle for you to figure this out. Are you ready?"

He cleared his throat and said,

"Not shades of yellow, purple or green, no one can touch me, not even a Queen."

Then, he did something that had only happened to Oliver in _very_ compromising situations.

_He winked._

He then launched himself over Oliver and crashed out a grimy window.

Oliver stared for a moment, then called Felicity.

"We've got a problem."

* * *

_Sorry this is so short, I hope you can enjoy it nevertheless! I realized I didn't put in a disclaimer. So here it is! I don't own Arrow, never will. _

_So the song choice for today doesn't really have to do with the chapter, I just thought the title would be funny. _

_I'm Not The Only One - Postmodern Jukebox_

_Also, I don't think I mentioned this, this is kinda AU because I haven't really watched season one like I have season two and three, but this is set before Roy or Sara, and I'm afraid that the characters are more like the season two and three characters. So thanks for reading!_

_See you later alligators!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Felicity swiveled in her rally chair and stared incredulously at Oliver.

"So you're saying that there's another vigilante in town, and he knows your identity?"

Oliver sighed, and said, "Yup."

Diggle groaned. Felicity, however, didn't understand.

"Why are we so upset about this? We have someone to help us out! I mean, I like it being just us, but we could always use the help..."

Oliver replied, saying, "As much as I like having someone who could get hurt on my watch, he's dangerous, volatile. For all we know, he could be an enemy trying to get close to us and attack when we think we can trust him."

Diggle nodded, and said, "The best thing to do in a situation like this is to figure out who this guy is."

He turned to Oliver.

"Can you describe in detail? I might know someone from the military who fits that description."

Oliver started, "Well, he was short, only about 5'4, had ripped jeans and a red sweatshirt on. His face was covered, all except his eyes, which were a stormy blue-green color. I'm assuming he was wearing a voice modulator, because his voice switched from high-pitched to low-pitched constantly, and I don't think it can be traced. But, he was snarky, and over-confident, like he had already beaten me."

Diggle stopped Oliver and went over to the computer.

"I remember a guy from my time in the war. His name was Tim Robin, and he could be this guy. But, he went missing in action three years ago."

Diggle turned the computer, so Oliver could see the picture.

Oliver sighed, "I guess that could be him, but we have no way to be sure. For all we know, Tim could be long gone."

Felicity looked up, and said, "Oliver, what was that riddle again?"

Oliver told her again, and Felicity smiled.

"I got it. Not shades of yellow, purple or green? What has no color that no one can touch? A shadow! Did Tim have any obsessions with shadows?"

Diggle shook his head.

"No, but it wouldn't hurt to look into right?"

Felicity then turned back to her computers and searched for Tim Robin. If this guy was still around, she would find him.

* * *

Tony Trippolini the Third sat behind his mahogany desk at his new bar in the Glades. For a new drug ring, things were going great. They had several dependent costumers, and they hadn't been attacked yet (which surprised him, seeing as there were many gangs in the area). His brother Tommy came in, after knocking.

"Hey, you hear 'bout the Fazzaloni's?"

Tony looked up from his paperwork. The Fazzaloni's were very prominent, and had far reaching clients. If they were out of the picture, that meant the Trippolini's could take over the Glades with relative ease.

"They was iced."

Tony sighed, and said, "By the Arrow? I'm tellin' you, Tommy, that son of a -"

Tommy stopped him.

"Not the Arrow. There's a new guy, callin' himself the Shadow."

Tony threw his pen down.

"Damn it! Why couldn't we just go to a normal town, like Chicago, or New York? But, no! We had to come to Starling, where there are guys running around thinkin' they could just not have crime?"

Tommy said, "What should we do boss?"

Tony sat back down.

"For now, we lay low. Don't let the men in tights know we exist. Let the other gangs disappear, then, we come with a vengeance."

Tony and Tommy smiled and chuckled.

"Then, we destroy the Arrow and the Shadow."

* * *

_Ha HA! So, we've met our main villain! By we, I mean you, and by met, I mean read about._

_The song for today is a combo, you just have to switch when you hit the line break._

_I've Got a Theory/Bunnies/If We're Together -Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

_Rogues are We Reprise - Holy Musical B man_

_So again, I don't own Arrow, and I'll try to get another chapter up soon!_

_Please read and review!_

_I'll see you on the flippity-flop!_


	4. Chapter 4

Oliver was getting fed up with the Shadow. Felicity wasn't any closer to finding anything our about Robin, and the Shadow would just pop up at every crime that Oliver would come to. He would beat everyone up, then leave, usually before Oliver would get there. He would sometimes leave snarky notes, with stupid puns. One time, he arranged the unconscious bodies of several drug dealers into the shape of a middle finger. Oliver was afraid that he would have to resort to violence if this problem would ever be solved.

And he soon got his chance.

The Arrow was out patrolling. He was squatting on top of a building, waiting for either action or a call from Felicity. Then, he saw a glint of metal and a red flash (A/N: tee-hee :).

"Felicity, I see the Shadow. I'm going to confront him and solve this problem."

Back in the Foundry, Felicity spun around, and pressed the com-link.

"What? No, Oliver, that's a terrible idea," she said. "You could get killed."

Oliver sighed, "I know, but this needs to be done."

Felicity nodded. "I know, but be careful."

A ghost of a smile graced Oliver's face at her concern for him, and he jumped from the building.

The Shadow was leaning up against the side of a warehouse, casually looking at his fingernails (which were actually covered by red gloves).

He looked up and smirked at the Arrow.

"So, you never told me if you figured out my riddle! Did you get it?"

He grinned eagerly.

Oliver snarled. "I'm not here to play games, Shadow!"

The Shadow grinned and clapped, "So you did get it! I'm so proud of you! But actually it's the Scarlet Shadow, ya know because your like Robin Hood, and I'm like Will Scarlet, his friend - "

His words were rapidly cut off by the sound of an arrow slicing air.

Oliver growled. "We are not friends!"

The Shadow moved out of the way at the last second, a look of mock anger on his face.

"Now that wasn't very nice," he said. The Shadow slowly pulled out his tonfas, and got into a battle stance.

"You want to fight, greenie? Let's do this."

The Shadow rushed at Oliver, and he quickly nocked an arrow. Just after he shot, the Shadow moved out of his target range and his arrow whizzed harmlessly to the side. The Shadow attacked him, using both his weapons and hand-to-hand combat.

They danced around the warehouse, locked together in a deadly race for supremacy. The Arrow suddenly made an unexpected move, and landed on top of the Shadow.

The Shadow smirked, and said coyly, "Well, Mr. Arrow, if you wanted to take me out, you should at least know my name."

Suddenly, the Shadow kneed Oliver in his quiver (if you know what I mean) and quickly held him, face down, with his arms behind his back.

He pulled out a card and said, "Well this was fun, but I hope it shows you can trust me, at least a little. Because if you couldn't, half of Starling City would know who you are. If you ever need me, call me at this number."

He stood up, and helped Oliver to his feet.

Needless to say, Oliver was stunned. He still wasn't sure about this whole debacle, but tonight had shown him that the Shadow was a force to be reckoned with, and they should be fighting together, not apart.

The Shadow stuck out his hand, and Oliver hesitantly grasped it. They shook hands, and turned to go their separate ways, when the Shadow spun and tackled Oliver, just before an explosion shook the foundations of the warehouse, and the Arrow and the Shadow landed in a crumpled heap.

* * *

_So, yeah... I've been gone for a while now... Anyway, I'm back! I have Ch. 5 written, I just need to post it, whic might be to more, but probably not, I'll see what I can do. I'm really sorry to whomever is following this story, because I'm a sporadic person who is super busy... Any who. _

_Song of of the day!_

_To be a man - Holy Musical B man! (WARNING: EXTREMELY EXPLICIT)_

_BTW, if you love musicals, and you love making fun or your favorite superheroes, this is the show for you! It's all on YouTube, and you should check out the other Starkid musicals too!_

_Also, I got a review! So I'll answer it._

_Dear DoubleDee068, thank you for your kind note. I like to think of Shadow as a cross between Deadpool, Harley Quinn and Jesus, the three best people! And CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE MY FIRST REVIEWER! YOU GET THE LOVE SND SFFECTION OF AN ANONYMOUS WRITER ON THE INTERNET! Yay!_

_See ya on the flippity flop!_


	5. Chapter 5

All he could see was white.

He was also aware of a faint ringing in his ears.

Groaning, the Shadow sat up looking himself over for injuries.

No internal injuries, no broken bones, just a large metal pole sticking out of his leg.

He shifted and quickly pulled it out with a scream.

After a stream of profanities escaped his mouth, he remembered his newfound compadre.

"Hey, Mr. A? You alive? I hope so, cause we just had a moment, and I wouldn't want you to be dead and I wouldn't be able to have adventures with you!"

The Shadow realized he was rambling, so he shut up and shifted through the rubble. Then, he heard a groan from the other side of the warehouse.

"Mr. A? That you?"

He carefully crawled over to the source of the groan, to find a battered Arrow, with a broken leg, and blood running down the side of his face.

"Oh, shit." The Shadow cursed under his breath.

He was able to carry/drag the semi-conscious vigilante over to his motorbike, where he carefully laid him.

The Shadow looked him over for any further injuries, but only found the leg and a nasty gash on his forehead.

"All right, where to big guy?"

Oliver mumbled, "Club... Glades..."

He was conscious enough to give the Shadow directions to Verdant, and as he pulled in on his small motorbike, the Shadow saw Diggle with a gun trained on him.

"Don't move or I'll shoot your ass," Diggle threatened.

The Shadow lifted his hands.

"Easy, hotshot. I just want him to get medical attention. He's got a broken leg, and probably a severe concussion."

Diggle put his gun away, and helped Oliver into the club. He looked back, and then noticed the blood flowing from the gaping hole in the Shadow's leg. He noticed Diggle looking at his leg and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, just take care of him."

The Shadow limped over to his bike, and took off into the night.

Diggle watched him thoughtfully, and then helped Oliver.

Once inside, Felicity swung around in her chair and glared at Diggle.

"You just let him walk away?" She asked, furiously. Her anger dissolved into worry and panic when she saw Oliver close up.

Diggle put him on the table and sighed.

"What was I supposed to do? The Shadow saved Oliver's life."

Felicity looked up from tenderly cleaning blood off of Oliver's head, with anger in her eyes.

"That's not what I meant. Did you see how badly he was hurt? He was worse off than Oliver!" She started to ramble. "I mean, did you see it? There was a giant hole in his leg! There's no way he was OK!"

She stopped as she heard Oliver groan. She helped him to a sitting position.

Oliver sighed.

"Looks like we need a new glass case."

* * *

So... it's been almost a month! How are you guys?! Hehe... Well, I had written this story about the same time as the previous one, I just couldn't find the time to post it. I couldn't find a song, so you'll just have to live without one...

Ok real talk now, I've been really sick, like hospital sick, so I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I probs have to go back tomorrow, who knows, maybe I could do it then?  
Thanks for understanding!  
Love you homies!


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey guys real quick, there's a huge game changer here, so be careful what you say in the comments for a surprise factor! Love you!_

* * *

They had settled into a pattern. The Shadow would seek Oliver out personally every night and ask him if he had any missions. Most of the time, Oliver wouldn't have much, but sometimes, Oliver would let the Shadow tag along on a larger mission. But most nights, the Shadow would just follow Oliver, making jokes, usually at his expense.

But tonight, that was about to change.

Oliver was finally trusting the Shadow to help him bust a small portion of the largest gang in Starling, the Trippolini's. The boss had recently died of a heart attack, which made sense, he was massively obese. His two sons took over, Tony and Tommy Trippolini. Tony was the brains and Tommy was the brawn. Oliver needed the Shadow as there were three different vantage points to attack from. The Shadow had obviously already met Diggle, but he had yet to meet Felicity. Oliver wasn't that trusting.

Diggle situated himself on the roof, and quietly whispered, "In position."

Oliver stood in the shadows, and whispered, "In position."

The Shadow was perched on a roof, poised to jump to a back door, "Eagle One is in position!"

Diggle and Oliver let out a collective groan.

Oliver gave the signal and all hell broke loose.

The Shadow broke through the door, which in turn erupted in a cacophony of bullets and breaking glass.

Oliver fired an explosive arrow into the front of the warehouse, and ran in firing arrows into legs and arms.

Diggle took shots at straggling minions as Oliver made his way to the center of the warehouse.

However, what Oliver didn't know was that Tony Trippolini had planned this out from the beginning. He was planning to ambush the Arrow when he finally got to the center of the warehouse. The lackeys near entrances were faking surprise. However, Oliver didn't get to the center office.

The Shadow quickly closed the door the center office and locked it. He searched until he had compiled enough evidence against the Trippolini's. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone for a picture.

"What a great way to commemorate my first mission!" he thought.

Before he could unlock the door, however, it was knocked down, and he was grabbed and beaten senseless. He tried to call out, and fight back, but there were at least ten men against him. The Shadow was knocked out and carried by a muscular man through the doors and shoved into a waiting van.

Tony Trippolini looked back at the motionless figure in his van.

"Well, I guess you'll do," he said.

By the time they got back to Verdant, Oliver and Diggle were angry. They had searched for the Shadow, and they believed that he had stood them up. Both of them were sore and Diggle had been shot in the arm. After the Shadow was kidnapped, all the gang members ran away, which was good for Oliver and Diggle, but all the evidence was gone too. After the drive, they were starting to suspect the Shadow of working with the Trippolini's.

Felicity was waiting for them with medical supplies.

"What happened?" She asked.

"We trusted someone who shouldn't have been trusted." Oliver growled.

Just then, Tony's face appeared on their monitors.

"Did I get it? Can ya hear me?"

A voice from behind the camera then said, "Ya boss, loud and clear."

Tony cleared his throat and said, "Hello, Arrow. I have something of yours."

He moved and showed a motionless Shadow hanging from the ceiling with his legs and arms tied securely.

This really got the attention of Oliver and Diggle, as Felicity acknowledged this and worked harder to trace the video.

Tony chuckled darkly, "If you want him back, I guess you'll just have to find him. Until then, I'll just have to ask him a few questions."

Just then, the Shadow shook his head and looked up into the camera.

Tony clapped.

"Well, it looks like our guest of honor has arrived! How 'bout you introduce yourself?"

Without warning, Tony strode over to where he was hanging and ripped off the hood.

Strawberry-blonde hair tumbled out from the fabric as the hood was taken off. Oliver realized that he had just assumed that the Shadow was a man (now all the sexual innuendos made him slightly uncomfortable).

A small ski-slope nose peeked out from behind the hair as she lifted her eyes into the camera. A thin face littered with bruises looked into the camera, but what really stuck with Oliver was her eyes. They were a swirling green-blue-grey, and Oliver was sure that he had seen them. He heard a small gasp and turned to look at Felicity, when he remembered where he had seen them.

_He was looking into them._

* * *

_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

_AND TO YOUR LEFT IT'S ME! RUINING EVERYTHING!_

_Did I getcha?!_

_Hahahahahaha_

_I'm so proud of myself!_

_I pranked you so hard!_

_Anyway..._

_Kung Fu Piano; The Cello Ascends_

_I'm thinking about putting this at the top so you can see it for the whole thing..._

_Again, I might be gone for a while, but who knows!?_

_BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_


	7. Chapter 7

_Two small figures with blond hair ran through the field, laughing and playing. The older one, with lighter hair, called, _

_"Catch me if you can Cassie!"_

_The younger one laughed and tackled the older one to the ground. _

_"Ha! Got you Lissy!"_

_A couple holding hands approached them, with sweet smiles on their faces. The man turned to the woman and said,_

_"Do you think our daughters get along too easily?"_

_The woman laughed and said,_

_"I wish all sisters were as close as Felicity and Cassie."_

* * *

Felicity turned back to the computers, with tears glistening in her eyes. She worked furiously to track the video.

Oliver turned to her, and carefully put his hand over hers, effectively stopping her from working.

"Who is she, Felicity?" he asked, calmly.

"She's my little sister, Cassandra." she replied, quietly.

Oliver had suspected as much, and then realized, that he knew little to nothing about Felicity's past; almost as little as she knew about his.

He was about to offer some comforting words, when Tony continued to talk.

"Well, wel, boys. It looks like we gots a lady in our midst!"

The goons chuckled, and handed Tony a baseball bat. One minion started to take off his belt, when Tony hit him with the bat.

"Hey! I'm the only one who can have fun with this little brat! Besides," he continued with a sickening grin, "we're all gentlemen, we'll treat her as if she were a fellow man!"

By this time, Felicity had broken out into heart-wrenching sobs, and Diggle's grip on his gun had turned his knuckles white.

The Shadow then decided it would be a good time to voice her thoughts.

"The Arrow will find me, you son of a bitch," she growled, in a low voice.

"Ohh! Did you hear that, lads? The tomato in sweatshirt decided to join us!"

Tony and his goons howled with laughter.

Tony strutted over to Cass, using the bat as a cane.

"By the time the Trippolini's are done with you, kid, there won't be much for the Arrow to find."

He then swung the bat directly in her face, connecting it with her cheekbone. Her head jerked violently to the side, and blood flew out of her mouth.

Felicity let out a surprised cry and buried herself in Oliver's chest.

Cass turned her head painstakingly back to Tony, spat blood in his face and said,

"Is that all you got?"

Tony chuckled, darkly.

"Oh, we're just gettin started. Bobby! Turn the camera off! I'd like a little alone time with Miss Shadow."

Then, the screen faded to black. Oliver was tightly holding a shaking Felicity, and Diggle was standing close behind.

"Felicity?" Oliver gently pulled her away from his chest. Her makeup was smudged, and she was still shaking slightly.

"Can you tell us what the hell is going on?"

* * *

_Hey guys..._

_Sooooooo, it's been a while.  
_

_Just an update! I've been in and out of the hospital, and they finally found out what I have! I have a heart problem called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome!_

_What fun! I have to make up all my school work over this summer, so updates will probably be few and far between._

_But, I will finish this story. Never fear gentle reader! I don't have a song today, but keep on keepin on, I guess. I'm super busy, but will update when possible!_

_Reviews will make me go faster ;)_


	8. Chapter 8

_Grab your sock puppets! It's flashback time!_

* * *

An older woman came into her house and sighed, dropping her keys, and taking off her high heels. She ran a hand though damp, messy blond curls. A loud boom of thunder shook the small house.

"Mommy, Mommy!"

A set of small feet came barreling around the corner and jumped into Donna's weary arms.

"Hey baby!" Her weariness forgotten, she smiled at her young daughter. "How was your day?"

Her small bundle of energy began to tell her mother about how she defeated the evil Lord Zanafar with her trusty green dinosaur sidekick, hands gesturing wildly with every word. Donna walked over to their tiny kitchen and set her on the counter.

"And then Zanafar said- Momma, momma, are you listening?" She stopped a minute and took a breath. Donna laughed and said,

"Of course Cassie! I'm just looking for Felicity."

Cassie motioned to the small bedroom in their house, "She's somewhere back there. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! So then I said -"

She was cut off by a loud crash of lightening and a whimper coming from the back bedroom.

Donna picked Cassie up, carrying her on her hip and walked back to the bedroom Cassie and Felicity shared. One side of the room was neat and clean, while the other side was a disaster area, and even had caution tape hanging on one side. A small pile of blankets on the neater side shivered and jumped at the thunder.

Cassie motioned to her mother to put her down and ran over to the blankets. She gingerly pulled back the covers to find a shaking Felicity cowering under the blankets.

"Don't worry Lissy! I'll be here! I'll protect you!"

Donna chuckled silently at the sight of the tiny, energtic, younger Cassandra consoling the older Felicity. Cassandra scrambled onto Felicity's bed and wrapped her in a gigantic hug.

Donna sighed, and looked at a picture of their happy family two years ago. Felicity was seated on top of her father's shoulders and they both were laughing.

_It just seems so much easier, _she thought.

_Why did you have to leave?_

* * *

Felicity sighed as she walked into the principal's office for what seemed like the hundredth time. Cassie was frowning, sitting in a chair, hoping she could disappear. She had a black eye and bruised knuckles. Felicity sat in the chair next to her after she made sure Cass was ok.

The principal swiveled in her seat and gave a stern glare to the pair of sisters. Felicity looked up meekly and asked,

"What happened this time?"

The principal peered over her glasses and said,

"Cassandra had fight today, in her art class. Needless to say," she sighed, "school property was, _again_, destroyed, and the others involved in the altercation had to go to the nurse's to get paint out of their eyes."

Cassie looked down, not because she was embarrassed, but to control herself from lashing out at the teacher.

Felicity looked over at her younger sister and noticed she was tense.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Lang, it won't happen again."

The principal smiled softly, and said,

"That's what you said last time, Felicity. You have great potential. Try to reign your sister in a little."

Felicity grabbed Cassie's arm and dragged her out of the office. As soon as they were outside, Felicity let go. They stood in silence for a few minutes, until Felicity spoke up.

"Well?"

Cassie looked at Felicity, with tears in her eyes, and said,

"They told me I was the reason Dad left."

Felicity quickly wrapped Cassie in a hug, and fiercely said,

"Don't you ever think that. It's Dad's own fault he left. He never got to see how great you are."

Cassie sniffed and nodded.

"You'll always be here right?"

Felicity ruffled her younger sister's hair.

"Of course."

* * *

"Do you really have to go all the way to MIT?" Cassie whined.

She was helping Felicity pack her clothes and belongings up for college. While Felicity, now 18, had grown up, shedding her quiet appearance to be a quirky, fun, computer whiz, Cassie had stayed rather the same. She was 14, just starting high school. She rocked short strawberry-blonde hair that matched her temper, and still had the greatest imagination.

Felicity nodded sadly.

"This is a great opportunity for me Cass." Her eyes grew in wonder. "Think of all the things I could do! I won't ever be stuck bringing coffee to some corporate douche."

They flopped onto Felicity's bed. Wavy blonde hair entangled short red hair. Cassandra started playing with her fingers. Felicity noticed this and grabbed her hands.

"I'll call everyday, you know right?"

Cass nodded, and said quietly,

"I'm really going to miss my only friend, Lis."

Felicity started to cry, her eyes filling with tears.

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

"So then, Peggy Carter beat this guy up with a stapler! How badass is that?!"

Felicity laughed at her computer screen, marveling _(pun definitely intended) _at her sister's enthusiasm. They were talking, as they did every night, to each other through Skype.

A sharp knock on Felicity's door roused her attention, as she realized it was now 3 am.

"Keep it down in there! I've got a huge final tomorrow!"

Cass noticed and looked down with a sigh. Felicity turned with a sad smile.

"You should probably get to bed anyway Cass."

"You'll call tomorrow right?"

"Of course jitterbug. I love you, Cassie."

"I love you, too, Lissy."

Felicity didn't call the next day.

* * *

Felicity's junior year of college, Cassie and Donna moved to Dakota City. Donna had gotten a better job as a hostess at a restaurant owned by a friend.

For the first time in a long time, Cass felt like she fit in, with the misfits. Dakota City was a relatively poor city, so many had been abandoned, like her. She finally made some friends.

She went to Ernest Hemmingway High School, and met her group. Cass finally had some friends other than her sister.

Not that Felicity noticed.

She had changed so much. She didn't even come home for the summer this year. She was still with her boyfriend, Cooper.

_More like Pooper,_ Cassie thought, ruefully.

She even dyed her hair for him. Cass had given up on trying.

* * *

Felicity had just parted ways with Cooper. She decided that she needed a new start. While she was packing all her things, she came across a picture of her and Cassie. It was then she realized how much of a terrible sister she had been. Cassie would be graduating soon, and she had missed that. She decided that as soon as she got to her new apartment in Starling she would call her family.

After she had finally settled in, she was having an intense argument with herself in her head.

_You need to do this Felicity. They're important to you. And you threw it all away for a boy who broke your heart. _

She composed herself and dialed the number.

A gruff voice answered the phone.

"Yes? Who is this?"

She swallowed and said,

"Felicity Smoak? Is there anyway to speak to Donna or Cassandra Smoak?"

She nervously bit her lip as the voice answered,

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Miss Smoak."

* * *

Felicity booked the next plane out of Starling. She let her boss know that there were some problems at home, and she had left. Mr. Queen was about to go on a boating trip, so things were starting to slow down anyway.

Felicity pulled up to the Dakota City police station with tissues in hand and ran inside. She pulled the doors open and saw her mother sitting on a bench. Donna looked up with bleary eyes and pulled Felicity into a tight hug.

"Thank God you're here Felicity," Donna said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm so sorry for cutting you out of my life, Mom," she whispered, "What happened?"

Donna looked like she was going to cry.

"Cassie's missing."

* * *

Felicity was still in shock.

It had been two weeks. Cassandra Smoak had disappeared without a trace. Donna told Felicity that the last she had heard from her was that she needed to help a friend out.

"I think she said his name was Victor? No, it was Virgil," she told Felicity.

Cass had heard that Virgil was in some trouble with a gang. So, being the stupid, courageous girl she was, she followed him to the pier. That night, no one really knows what happened.

Of course, once back in Starling, Felicity did some digging. She found that the police dropped an experimental gas on the pier to "subdue the criminals." She read hospital records of kids who were killed by the gas, and she only hoped that Cassie had made it out.

Felicity, once again, cut most of her ties, but she still kept in contact with her mom. She was content to be alone, without any weird stuff happening.

Until Oliver Queen came home.

But, she never stopped looking for her sister.

* * *

_Dudes, dudettes and all those in between! Crazy stuff goin down ehh? _

_If you got either of the references (first one all the way at the top), give me a shoutout!_

_Chapter Song: To Build a Home - Cinematic Orchestra_

_Sooooo this was a super long chap..._

_I'll try to update, it gives me a break from my crazy life..._

_Reviews (both positive and negative) always welcome!_


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